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Re: What movie did you last watch?

I'm Not There - I'm only just a casual Dylan fan, though he's my favorite white artist (I know, I need to quit that), and all of the references and ideas can only be understood with a deep understanding of the man. Despite all that, the film itself, which is supposed to represent the contradictory and erratic nature of Dylan himself, is very well done, rather ambitious, and very well acted. Blanchett (sp?) definitely deserved her medal; though the rest of the cast is on point; I've got a feeling the black kid (Marcus something, the only one that actually sings in the film) will be in many films to come. Highly recommended, especially in this time of possibly regergitated biopics. He's a lucky guy to have lived so long. Good work from Todd Haynes.

Re: What movie did you last watch?

I liked this one a lot. Even the stunts (except for the airplane thing) were easy to take in stride.

I was surprised at the lack of 'F-bombs'. The original was chock full of them. I guess they wanted the PG-13.

After the movie we were flipping through the channels and came across Pearl Harbor. The attack had just started, so we watched a bit of that. Then I went off on a 15 minute "lecture" to my son and wife about WWII in the Pacific. It started with the differences between what was happening in the movie and reality. I got through the Battle of Midway before I realized neither one was paying attention to me. Oh, well.

You're caught up in the Internet / you think it's such a great asset / but you're wrong, wrong, wrong
All that fiber optic gear / still cannot take away the fear / like an island song

Re: What movie did you last watch?

[i]It started with the differences between what was happening in the movie and reality. I got through the Battle of Midway before I realized neither one was paying attention to me. Oh, well.

Haha, sounds like me, seriously! I always go on rants on stuff I don't like when historical and (geo-)political things are beying portrayed incorrectly on a serious level (I can live with some minor things... I'm not that bad, atleast ......... that's what I like to think ) .

Re: What movie did you last watch?

Haha, sounds like me, seriously! I always go on rants on stuff I don't like when historical and (geo-)political things are beying portrayed incorrectly on a serious level (I can live with some minor things... I'm not that bad, atleast ......... that's what I like to think ) .

Yes, I was thinking of your post on Elizabeth when I wrote it mine. Very similar.

One of my least favorite movies ever is The Thin Red Line.

Part of the reason why I hate it so much is one of the initial shots where they showed a destroyer sailing off the coast of Guadalcanal. Except it was a modern frigate. How much could it have cost to get an accurate shot with a model, huh? I understand (now) it wasn't really a "war" movie, but still.

You're caught up in the Internet / you think it's such a great asset / but you're wrong, wrong, wrong
All that fiber optic gear / still cannot take away the fear / like an island song

Re: What movie did you last watch?

The New Yorker had maybe the most glowing review of it tha I think I've ever seen it publish, dropping lines like this:

"There Will Be Blood, an enthralling and powerfully eccentric American epic"

"I’m not quite sure how it happened, but after making “Magnolia” (1999) and “Punch-Drunk Love” (2002)—skillful but whimsical movies, with many whims that went nowhere—the young writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson has now done work that bears comparison to the greatest achievements of Griffith and Ford."

"The experience chronicled between these two moments is as astounding in its emotional force and as haunting and mysterious as anything seen in American movies in recent years."

"As for Daniel Day-Lewis, his performance makes one think of Laurence Olivier at his most physically and spiritually audacious."

NOTE: This is a fairly in-depth review and talks about some plot points...some which those who prefer going in completely uninformed may consider spoilers. FYI. There's also a Juno review afterwards.

Re: What movie did you last watch?

That, and Identity didn't cause me to feel like I was constantly taking breaks to press my forehead against a baseball bat while spinning in place. That director's style just doesn't work for my brain and leaves me dizzy.

That's Greengrass and I thought it was his method that made United 93 so great. To me U93 and this Bourne are very similar in pacing and style, for obvious reasons.

I saw No Country back at release. Best Coen film yet IMO. It's Fargo except instead of a competition of bungling it's a competition of competent. It's Fargo with the Blood Simple edge.

At the risk of spoiling....

Spoiler:

In both cases I think the main police character ends up being about as effective. My buddy said "she caught the guys, but honestly she never found the money nor truly solved the crime. They all died, the victims died, what got solved? So the end of NC is identical in my mind, it's about that cop trying to take the nonsensical nature of the crime they investigated and mesh that with the life they are trying to live.

Juno - another Rushmore/Ghost World. Mouthy young lead learns about life with adult interactions that get weird/romantic. Great performances and strong script, even if it does manipulate the adult/teen situations in a way that aren't realistic in terms of knowledge of life/social. A guy that opened for the Melvins knows more about punk music than EVERY 16 year old, at least classic punk from more than 16 years ago.

Stardust I liked back when it came out. Cute. Not quite sharp comedy like Princess Bride, but in the same ballpark of style and story. Fun enough.

The Golden Globes crap thing was as sad as it gets. Horrible effort, horrible hosts, and a depressing reminder of the WGA strike. It would have been nice to see No Country, Depp, the Diving Bell director, the Mad Men people, etc get up and get noticed, get some air time. The Oscars need to pony up money ASAP. No way they can have something similar.

I'm getting ready to make a serious film run on all these top flicks now out or hitting DVD. Gotta catch up with the season.

I have a serious jones on for There Will Be Blood to open. DD Lewis is THE actor of our age. I also can't wait for Be Kind, Rewind.

Be ready for Cloverfield to p*** people off. I'll bet you don't see the monster, that this is a "one common man's view of a disaster" a bit in the vein of WotWorlds, but moreso ala Lost. I think it's a good idea, but I think people won't expect it to be that. I could be wrong of course.

Re: What movie did you last watch?

Ha, good one. Idk, I'm kind of at the point where "favorite" doesn't necessarily mean the one I listen to the most but the one I respect the most. Everyone in this country has heard three times more Beatles songs than Chuck Berry or LIttle Richard songs; I'm about at the same level in terms of personal apppreciation for the music and songs of the two groups of artists. However, I respect the two dudes more than the stoners. Do I own more Aesop albums? Yeah, but Dylan has ultimately done more for music, not just universally but for many of the artists I listen to who aren't in the hip hop circle.

Oh yeah, this is a movie thread. Just watched Brick again. Love that flick. JGL just beats cats up.

Re: What movie did you last watch?

After the movie we were flipping through the channels and came across Pearl Harbor. The attack had just started, so we watched a bit of that. Then I went off on a 15 minute "lecture" to my son and wife about WWII in the Pacific. It started with the differences between what was happening in the movie and reality. I got through the Battle of Midway before I realized neither one was paying attention to me. Oh, well.

I get that way with Medieval films. Kingdom of Heaven, Braveheart - I gave an hour lecture on the errors in Braveheart to a group once. I think their eyes were glazing over about halfway through though they did perk up when I talked about William Wallace getting his jollies on with a girl who was all of 7 the year he died.

Re: What movie did you last watch?

I get that way with Medieval films. Kingdom of Heaven, Braveheart - I gave an hour lecture on the errors in Braveheart to a group once. I think their eyes were glazing over about halfway through though they did perk up when I talked about William Wallace getting his jollies on with a girl who was all of 7 the year he died.

"Kingdom of Heaven" I HATED that one. Talk about moving a 21st century attitude and love story into the medieval time frame.

I actually did like "The Thin Red Line" a lot, though the FFG in the back is a little annoying if you pay attention to it (I chose to ignore it ).

One movie you guys should maybe see is "Warriors" about British UN Forces (having their hands completely tied) in Bosnia in 1993. Maybe the best wardrama I have ever seen. Truly brilliant IMO. I must have seen it 7 or 8 times by now.

Re: What movie did you last watch?

Just watched The Science of Sleep.

This one teeters the line between greatness and incomprehensible. Artistically and thematically it's incredibly lofty, and it certainly hits on all cylinders in many places. And indeed, a lot of the dialogue and scenes are captivating, and the actors are really good across the board.

On the other hand, however, it's all over the place. Essentially, we're watching Gael Garcia Bernal (who's really great as always) go back and forth between being awake and his own eccentric dreamworld, and its increasingly blurry which one we're seeing.

It's quite a bit different than much else you'll ever see (I haven't seen Eternal Sunshine yet). At any rate, it's worth a viewing if you're into this sort of unconventional cinema.

Re: What movie did you last watch?

"Kingdom of Heaven" I HATED that one. Talk about moving a 21st century attitude and love story into the medieval time frame.

Yeah - especially since Balian actually returned to Jerusalem to rescue his wife - he wasn't running aroung shagging the most convenient Muslim girl he could find. I've come to accept SOME journalistic license in filmmaking but in this case it isn't even necessary. What really happened was he asked Saladin for permission to re-enter Jerusalem while it was under siege to get his wife. Saladin said OK. When he got there he found the defenses in such pathetic shape that he felt compelled to stay but first he sent a letter to Saladin asking permission, which was granted.

That's a great story and a lot to work with. Instead they decided to invent some crap about him getting his happy on with a random girl.

Re: What movie did you last watch?

What? A random girl? That wasn't a random girl, or a Muslim. That was Saladin's sister. His wife was already dead in this movie. Furthermore, I don't go into these expecting them to be historically accurate, just that they're slightly based on something that happened. Usually smaller details (sets/costumes/props) are accurate to various degrees. Now, if they advertised themselves as bringing history to life, I'd be upset, but they didn't and I'm not. I thought the movie was OK in theaters, but the director's cut (which adds a lot back in) is much better. Listen to the audio commentary of the DC; they (Director & Writer) know it's not what happened. They weren't trying to be accurate.

Re: What movie did you last watch?

What? A random girl? That wasn't a random girl, or a Muslim. That was Saladin's sister. His wife was already dead in this movie. Furthermore, I don't go into these expecting them to be historically accurate, just that they're slightly based on something that happened. Usually smaller details (sets/costumes/props) are accurate to various degrees. Now, if they advertised themselves as bringing history to life, I'd be upset, but they didn't and I'm not. I thought the movie was OK in theaters, but the director's cut (which adds a lot back in) is much better. Listen to the audio commentary of the DC; they (Director & Writer) know it's not what happened. They weren't trying to be accurate.

Ridley Scott has crawled all over himself describing it as an accurate depiction of the conflicts of that time. It is not - it completely misrepresents the tenor and tone of the Crusades. Pretty much garbage.

Just about the only historically accurate item in the entire film was that Guy of Lusignan lost the Battle of Hattin. Beyond that it's pure fiction - starting with Balian being a blacksmith and not a mid-level noble.

That's OK. Historical films are always fictionalized somewhat - heck we don't know enough details about those people to stick to the facts for film. But in this case Balian going back to Jerusalem to rescue his wife would have created as good, or better of a plot line than the one they threw in. Not sure why they felt the need to throw in the Muslim girl - maybe to give the impression that if it wasn't for those meanie Templars, Christians and Muslims would all get together and sing Kumbaya - never mind that they'd been killing each other for 500 years by the time the film was set.

But at least it was better than Braveheart - particularly since Gibson defends that film as historically accurate. And on a positive note, I thought Saladin was portrayed fairly well - maybe a little too sympathetically since he wasn't above mass slaughter when it suited him but not too bad.

Re: What movie did you last watch?

I thought I'd be ready to watch it. But I guess I wasn't...or I guess this is just the reaction most people get. Because I haven't shed tears from watching a movie in a long time.

I went through so many different stages during the movie. For about the first 20 minutes, I kept telling myself to turn it off. That way I wouldn't have to see.

For about the next hour, I was stressed. I have no other way of putting it...sounds weird - being stressed during a movie. But it was painful to watch. I knew what was going to happen - but I kept hoping it would turn out different.

For the last part, I was just done. I don't know - I can't imagine everything going through the people's heads. I can't imagine that situation. But it happened. From the chaos on ground and in air-traffic centres, to the chaos on the plane...and the communication problems on the ground and on the plane. I couldn't imagine. It offends me when people say that 9/11 was a conspiracy.

Re: What movie did you last watch?

Hit me just as hard, rcarey.

I watched Good Luck Chuck tonight. Pretty cheesy, but I finally put it together that Dane Cook is the restaurant grill guy in Waiting....the one who puts his pubes on as a garnish for the lady who was being a beyotch.

I thought the movie was pretty cute, and it was all the more bearable because Jessica Alba is the hottest woman on the PLANET. That phrase is overused, and hyperbole always waters down statements of this magnitude. Regardless of all that, Jessica Alba is the hottest woman on the PLANET. It is insane how hot she is. No human being, man or woman, should be that attractive. Sigh.